Public Chamber to analyze situation with convicted pilots

The pilots working for the airline Rolkan were arrested March 12, 2011, after a forced landing in the airport of the city of Kurgan Tyube

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MOSCOW, November 15 (Itar-Tass) — The committee set up at the Russian Public Chamber will work out recommendations to solve the situation with Estonian pilot Alexei Rudenko and Russian pilot Vladimir Sadovnichy sentenced to imprisonment in Tajikistan for violating its state border, the press service of the Public Chamber reported on Tuesday.

The committee will “analyze the legal aspect of that criminal case, will gather and study information on the work of the Russian diplomatic mission in Tajikistan, will listen to the opinions of experts and the representatives of competent Russian, Estonian and Tajik agencies as well as will discuss issues of protection of Russian nationals’ rights abroad,” it said.

The pilots working for the airline Rolkan were arrested March 12, 2011, after a forced landing in the airport of the city of Kurgan Tyube.

A Tajikistani court sentenced them to 10.5 years in a high security prison but after an amnesty signed by President Emomali Rakhmon the term was slashed by two years.

Sadovnichy and Rudenko were found guilty of all the three offenses the Tajikistani law enforcement agencies had charged them with initially – an encroachment on the regulations for international flights, an unauthorized border crossing, and contraband.

The Tajikistani government has also confiscated the two Antonov-72 (NATO reporting name Coaler) transport aircraft Sadovnichy and Rudenko had been flying.

The pilots’ lawyer has filed a cassation appeal against the verdict of guilty, which must be considered before December 20.